From Clay Howell, Director, Development, The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation
The fall winds bring interesting gifts, starting with the generous support of this year’s Red & White Ball and 20th Anniversary campaign led by the Allie and Danny Kustoff and the Beldon Family. It was a tremendous event and campaign, resulting in one of the most successful awareness-builders and fundraisers in the 20 years of The Foundation. All made possible by members of our board of directors. Thank you!
We also owe a debt of gratitude to a number of philanthropists in our community who have taken interest in our lifesaving mission. Representing a broad spectrum of support for blood donor recruitment and appreciation, new blood collection equipment, the Texas Cord Blood Bank, and a new bloodmobile, I invite you to join us in thanking H-E-B, The Edouard Foundation with a special thanks to Ron and Valerie Finch for their cultivation of this gift, Shelby Rae Tengg Foundation, and the M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation in Victoria.
The Johnson Foundation gift supporting a new next-generation bloodmobile is an investment in our ability to expand mobile blood drives in and around Victoria. Their gift represents one of the largest received since the founding of The Foundation in 2002. This bloodmobile will join ranks with our most recent additions mid-COVID pandemic, The Yellow Rose, courtesy of the Olsen Family, and 2019 Red & White Ball coach.
Major gift donations are a critical component to funding programs across BioBridge Global, but they are not the only means of support. Many of our board of directors also participate in the annual Valero Texas Open Champions fore Charity and Big Give SA campaigns helping raise awareness and much-needed funds. Again, thank you!
Charitable fund development is an ever-evolving space, and you can count on your Foundation to evolve too. That said, on a special note, I’d like to recognize a colleague here at BioBridge Global who has made a planned gift to The Foundation. Using his company life insurance policy, Ken D. has allotted a percentage of his policy to The Foundation in the event the policy is executed. We wish Ken a long and prosperous life and our sincerest appreciation for this creative thinking that can have a lasting impact on our mission.
A gift in one’s will, trust, retirement account or life insurance policy can leave a lasting legacy of impact and be the next groundwork for 20 more years’ service to our South Texas community.
The year is not over just yet. In the next two months, we will be working with prospective donors on the $1.5 million in gift requests outstanding, with some confidence we shall see several grants awarded. How exciting!
